Coconut Rice or Arroz con Coco is very popular in the Colombian coast. Traditionally, the rice is made with real coconut and sometimes even coca-cola is added!
To make a traditional Colombian arroz con coco, coconut milk is cooked down until a brown sugar/taffy called “Tipoté” appears. This technique gives the coconut rice a nutty and authentic flavor.
However, for this coconut rice recipe we will keep things pretty simple. I cook the rice the same way I make my white Colombian rice, but I use coconut milk in addition to water.
Keep in mind this rice recipe will yield a sticky rice that can take shape. Give this Colombian coconut rice recipe a try by itself or with mojarra frita.
What You’ll Need:
- 2 cups of coconut milk (canned or from the milk section)
- 1 cup of white rice
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 ½ tablespoons of brown sugar
- ½ tsp of salt
- ½ tsp of olive oil
Directions:
- Take the rice and rinse it under water.
- Then, add the rice, coconut milk, water, sugar, salt, and olive oil into a small pot. Stir to combine.
- Turn the heat on high and let the rice come to a boil (should take about 5 minutes). Be sure to give it a few stirs every few minutes and to watch the rice so it does not boil over.
- Boil until the liquid begins to evaporate and you can see small bubbles forming on the rice’s surface.
- Once you see the bubbles, be sure to give it a quick stir, place a lid, and lower the heat to the lowest heat setting for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and give it a quick stir. You will notice a light brown sticky residue at the bottom of the pan. This is the caramelization of the coconut milk. Take a wooden spatula and carefully scape all of it and mix into the rice. Enjoy!
- Yields about 2 cups of rice.
